Today Was A Fairytale
by livixbobbiex
Summary: Disney Tangled AU! "You're completely restrained," Nagisa finally said, unable to resist the taunts, as he took a step out of his hiding place. "I-it's no use!" / Though he was seated, and at a lower height than Nagisa, he still seemed to be looking down on him. "What, do you want me to be impressed? What even is this, hair?


Staring down at the unconscious man on his floor, Nagisa realised his day hadn't gotten off to the best of starts. Perhaps his mother would understand, when she arrived for her daily visit. How else was Nagisa supposed to react, to some strange man bursting clean through his window? Nagisa had hidden himself at first, waiting for the right moment before clapping as hard as he could right behind the man's head. He'd only intended to give him a bit of a fright, but the guy had seized up, falling forwards and banging his forehead against the stone.

Nagisa hoped it wasn't anything serious. The guy was still breathing, so at least he wasn't dealing with a _corpse_. In truth, Nagisa didn't know all that much about injuries. His mother freaked out about the smallest scrape or bruise, and living in a tower all his life, he'd never been exposed to much danger.

Steadying his shaky breaths, Nagisa crouched down, figuring that he should check if there was a lump on the man's head. Unfortunately, strands of fiery red hair were blocking his view. Nagisa gulped, tentatively reaching out to peel it back. There wasn't much swelling, but Nagisa was still taken aback at what he saw. He hadn't had much of a look at the man before, of course he'd been a little busy _freaking out_ , but he'd only really looked at the back of his head.

It was like his vision had zeroed in, pink around the edges. The man was _handsome_ , like one of the illustrations from his storybooks when he was a child. Face relaxed in sleep, it was well structured, surprisingly unmarked for a criminal. Or, at least, Nagisa assumed he must be a criminal, considering he had no problem breaking into random towers in the middle of nowhere. His eyes were fused closed, but Nagisa imagined they'd be a pretty colour.

"Nagisa! Darling!" His mother's voice called from outside. "Let down your hair!"

He practically shrieked, falling backwards from the man he'd been staring at, hard onto his butt. Nagisa blinked, weighing out his options. In this kind of a situation, he figured that his mother would know what to do, but there was a twinge of doubt that came with that. If she turned out to be in a bad mood, she likely wouldn't even stop to hear Nagisa out, before accusing him. Best to hide him, ease her in to the situation.

"Just a minute!" Nagisa stuck his head out of the window and yelled back.

The real question was _where_ to hide the man. Nagisa rushed over to his wardrobe, digging around for a long skirt. It was a system he'd come up with a few years ago, when his mother's insistence on what he wore became so harsh it was just easier to plainly obey her will. He'd sewn some rough trousers out of patches of material from old dresses, which he wore whenever his mother _wasn't_ around. When she did come to visit, it was easy enough to slip a skirt over the top, to hide his true self.

Considering it, Nagisa realised the wardrobe probably was the best option. He just hoped the man would fit… It was harder than he'd expected, to drag him across the room. By the time Nagisa managed to stuff his limp body inside and close the doors, he was breaking a serious sweat. He'd just have to pray the man wouldn't wake up, because his mother was surely getting impatient.

Nagisa rushed back over to the window, and began tossing his hair out of it. Yards and yards of his blue locks flew out of the tower, reaching just a few inches off the ground. He cringed, as his mother gave his hair a test tug, before beginning to pull her way up to his tower's window. Nagisa did his best to steel himself, when her form appeared, and the tension from his scalp was dropped.

She glared at him. "What took you so long?"

"Cleaning!" Nagisa thought from the top of his head. "I was just cleaning up."

Sniffing, his mother regarded him again. "What did I tell you about messes?"

"'A clear room is a clear mind'," he recited dutifully. Nagisa needed to tell her, before he lost his nerve. "Uhm, Mum, I-"

"I thought I'd made myself clear," she sighed, and slammed the basket she was carrying down on the table. "Nagisa, if this is about that _going outside_ nonsense…"

It wasn't about that, but it still struck a nerve. All Nagisa wanted for his birthday was to be allowed out of this tower. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable, or that he hated it, but he knew there was more to life than _this_. All the books he'd read, they must have come from somewhere. Nagisa knew he'd probably return straight after, he just wanted a day, just to see for himself what else there was in the world. Of course, his mother had freaked out when he brought it up the first time.

"Mum," Nagisa gulped. "Please just hear me ou-"

He heard the slap, before he felt the pain that came along with it. It echoed around the room, with no other sound to fill the silence that followed. Nagisa winced, face turning with the momentum of her hit, but he didn't allow himself to sob.

"You ungrateful brat!" She hissed. "I've given you everything! A luxurious home, a fine education, everything you could possibly ask for! If you know what's good for you, you'll stop the complaints at once."

"Yes, Mother," Nagisa kept his eyes fixed on the ground. It was no use telling her about the man. Clearly, she was in one of her moods. It would only upset her _more_. He'd just have to figure something out, once she left. Until then… he'd bear it.

Satisfied, she nodded. "One of these days you'll appreciate that your mother knows best. Now, make me some tea, won't you?"

She didn't stay much longer after that. At least she relaxed over the tea, turning to conversation to more trivial things. The pain in his cheek became a slight lingering sting, but that wasn't why he felt so on edge. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept sneaking glances at that wardrobe. Thankfully, though, nobody burst out of it, before his mother stood up and picked up the basket.

"Nagisa," she sighed, threading fingers through his hair. "My sweet and only child. You know I only want to protect you. I love you."

Cringing as she hugged him close, Nagisa tried his best to accept it for what it was. "I love you too," he said.

At least he could think, once she was gone. He sighed in relief, leaning against the stone wall, out of view from the window. The first order of business was ditching the skirt, which he slipped off and folded up quickly, stashed for the next time he'd need it. Next, he really needed to do something about the man in his wardrobe. Wracking his brain, he grabbed a large book, figuring he could knock the guy back out if he tried to attack him.

Cautiously, Nagisa opened the door, immediately jumping back into a defensive stance. There was no attack coming, however, and the man simply spilled out onto the floor, showing no sign of consciousness. Nagisa wasn't sure what to do next. Lower the man down before he woke? Find out why he was here? Nobody else had ever found Nagisa's tower before, other than his mother, so maybe this wasn't just a fluke.

He tiptoed across the room and pulled out a wooden chair, figuring it would be best to get the man upright. Now that some of the earlier adrenaline had faded, the man really was pretty heavy, and Nagisa strained getting him up and onto the chair. Once he was done, he took a step back, raking his eyes over the scene. Whatever the guy did, he must be pretty successful. His clothes looked expensive, tailored. Nagisa hoped he wasn't dealing with some kind of mastermind.

Looking at his clothes, Nagisa noticed a bulge in his trousers. He was definitely hiding something in his pocket… Perhaps even a weapon. Nagisa couldn't have that, so he tentatively reached for it, and pulled out a gem the size of his own fist. It was blue in colour, mesmerising in the way it caught the light. So this man was some sort of jewel thief, then. If Nagisa had been raised with less morals, he would have understood the drive to steal something like that, it was _beautiful_.

Which meant the man would probably be desperate to have it back. Just in case he really was violent, Nagisa figured he should find something to restrain him. Unfortunately, his mother didn't really allow him to keep anything such as rope, lest he use it to make his escape. The only thing Nagisa had that would be long enough was his own hair… Well, he supposed he could try.

Once his hair was wrapped around the man in careful crisscross patterns, somewhat akin to the weaving he'd been forced to learn, Nagisa took a step back, pleased with his work. It probably wouldn't be smart to face the man head on when he really woke up, though. Eyes darting around for a place to hide, Nagisa allowed himself to slip into the shadows, stashing the gem inside a small basket.

The man woke up with a growl, eventually. For a moment, he looked around frantically, before starting to tug on his restraints. Nagisa held in a whimper at how horribly the motions tugged at his scalp, forcing himself to remain silent. By the looks of things, no matter how hard the man was trying, he couldn't force himself out.

Surprisingly, though, he relaxed. "Alright. You got me."

Nagisa forced himself not to react, though his voice sent a hot rush through his system. Of course, it matched his looks, a lot lower in pitch than his own but still filled with a sort of mischievous charm. Now that he had his eyes open, too, Nagisa realised he had been right. They were a gold colour, shining dangerously in the light of the room, almost like he was possessed by some kind of demon. Yet, something about them beckoned him.

"You know I could get out of this," the man continued. "But that's gonna make me real mad and nobody wants that. Just let me go, and I'll be on my merry way. Pinkie swear?"

"You're completely restrained," Nagisa finally said, unable to resist the taunts, as he took a step out of his hiding place. "I-it's no use!"

Though he was seated, and at a lower height than Nagisa, he still seemed to be looking down on him. "What, do you want me to be impressed? I'm not in the mood for another fight today, so, just tell me what you want."

"Your name?" Nagisa started, as he realised he hadn't really planned what he was going to say. He wasn't particularly good at interrogation. "H-how you found me. What you're doing here."

"Listen, _lady_ ," he said, smirking confidently now he'd seen his opponent. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have places to _be_."

Nagisa spluttered. "I-I'm not a girl!"

The man squinted for a moment like he didn't believe Nagisa, before leaning back as much as the restraint allowed him to, shrugging. "Coulda fooled me. Prove it."

"Eh?! What?!" Nagisa turned away and flushed. "I-I don't even know you."

"Well," he said, "let me go, and maybe I'll introduce myself."

And then Nagisa realised something. He had _leverage_. "You'll leave _straight away_?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Sure I will, I'll be no tro-" Stopping midsentence, the man's face fell, darkening like a thunderstorm. "What did you do with the diamond?"

Diamond?! So it really _was_ expensive. Finally, Nagisa had a real advantage. "I've put it somewhere safe."

The man laughed fakely. "That's hilarious. Now give it back."

"I-I don't think you're in a position to be making demands," Nagisa said. "Now how did you get _in_ here?"

He sighed dramatically. "Look, I had an old score to settle. The owner of that thing, I swear he deserved it. Some of his guys were chasing me and I thought 'hey, here's this abandoned tower, seems like a smart place to hide'. Their horses are fast, but they can't _climb_ like I can, so." Somehow, his expression turned serious. "This isn't something you want to get involved in."

A twinge in Nagisa's soul said that he did want to be involved, but it sounded so _dangerous._ Something his mother had taught him to fear. "You mean to tell me that you've marked this tower as a target?"

"Which is why I need to leave," he confirmed. "See? You can let me go. I haven't done anything to you."

"You broke in," Nagisa pointed out.

If dangerous men were to come after him… Nagisa didn't know what to do. But surely he wasn't _safe_ anymore. If his mother's main concern was his safety, after all, then would it be so bad? It made logical sense that if somewhere else was less dangerous than the tower, than he should go there. It was perhaps a weak excuse, but an excuse none the less. It was all Nagisa wanted, to go to all the places he'd only read about in books, than just live his mother's prisoner forever.

"Okay," he said finally, "I'll return the gem to you."

"Great-"

Nagisa cleared his throat. "On the condition that you take me somewhere."

" _Huh_?" The man looked at him oddly. "Where?"

"The city," Nagisa voiced dreamily. "The castle, the beach…"

His brow creased. "The castle? But I just ran _away_ from the castle- Okay. Fine. Deal. Now let me out."

Tentatively, Nagisa lifted a portion of his hair, letting it slip between his fingers. Was he really going to do this? It was crazy, but he felt a kind of trust towards this man. He was definitely a criminal, and had a devious energy, but he hadn't tried to attack Nagisa. Somehow, he felt… excited.

"What's your _name_?" He asked again, and began the work to untie him.

Finally free, he stretched out, and rubbed the part of his head he must have fallen on. "Just call me Karma." Right then, Nagisa was expecting him to bolt, diamond or not. "So, you coming or what?" He sat on the ledge of the window, like he was about to leap out.

"Mmm," Nagsia replied firmly, stashing the diamond in his own pocked once the man – Karma – had his back turned. Time to go on an adventure.


End file.
